A Scenic Reverie Open Closed

Rage was building on a solid foundation of hate, gradually increasing in power. A third year Ravenclaw, Kaegen was undisputed terror of the Hogwarts halls. His name had been run in the newspaper, his name had been whispered down the classrooms, embellished tales of the monstrosities he was capable of were spread by word of mouth, becoming increasingly grand and terrible. He was not normal, not human in any sense of the word.

The bathroom massacre, the bloody trophy, the makeshift dragon made of a tablecloth, the attempted assassination, the traps and tricks and fights and duels. Kaegen was no stranger to a fight, he never had been. Prolonged fights were not his specialty either, if he decided he wanted you dead then that was the objective, inflicting hurt was just stupid. That said, he hadn't exactly been terrifically successful in the past.

"You call me oaf because I don't subscribe to nonsense? You're a blot, nothing but a blot.

His fingers found what they were looking for, tapered fingertips brushing against smooth wood. One move, all the other boy had to make was one move and it would be a fight, an actual fight. A blot, a drip, a speck of nothing but black, nothing but dark places everywhere. Kaegen didn't have a good name, he didn't have a lot of honor, but one day he would, one day he would have more honor than all the rest of the surviving students put together. He would have his own name, and no one would hinder that journey, especially not some blot.

Kaegen's feet noticeably shifted, his eyes narrowed, keeping tabs on both the people in front of him. That boy, that blot, was smelling like a fight.

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At this point, everything was dark, the moonlight not seeming to show sufficient ability to make the scene around them less dim. Even the very atmosphere around the three youths was sinister, and Jay figured he knew exactly the person to peg the blame on for that one.
"You call me oaf because I don't subscribe to nonsense? You're a blot, nothing but a blot."
Yes, Kaegen was certainly the one that had caused this. He was the reason everything had gone this way, why it had all turned so utterly wrong.
For all Jay knew, if Kaegen hadn't blundered into their conversation and started affronting River and her family, he may well have a half vampire - a gorgeous damphir, to be exact - as a friend by now. What better way could there be to start his time at a new school?

But instead, here he was, eyeing the hand of a seemingly crazed kook as it reached into his robes, presumably grasping at a wand concealed within.
Jay wondered what kind of spell Kaegen would use to brutally eliminate him; any number of things might happen- he could spontaneously combust on the spot, or just wither into a pile of dust. Or perhaps Kaegen, in an unmitigated act of contempt for a pointless "blot," would simply stab Jay with his wand, assuming it was sharp enough.
Of all the possible ways to go, being stabbed with a magical stick wasn't all that high on Jay's list of preferred deaths, so he resolved that, if nothing else, he would not allow that particular outcome.

"Blot..." he considered, then shrugged, eager to leave this whole thing behind. "All right then."
He struggled to find words that might appease the Fens-born scarf wielder who stood in front of him. Supposing that something along the lines of 'Drop the stick or the scarf dies' wasn't a reliable path on the way to peace, he quickly discarded the idea.
Running an anxious hand through his black hair, he let out a sigh, finally deciding to be as straightforward as possible.
"Look, Kaegen, the only reason I got upset is because I rather feel like punching you in the face when you randomly insult River like that. But make no mistake, in no way, shape or form do I harbor any intentions or wishes to fight you, as I don't particularly want to explode." The part about him exploding may or may not be understood by the other two, but a very vivid picture of such an event currently filled his mind, and it just seemed to slip out of his mouth during his appeal for peace.

"You got upset because you wanted to punch me? I feel like making fun of that statement is a bit beneath me at this point so I'll stick to challenging you. Do it. Punch me and make my day. No one has killed my yet and believe me many have tried. Don't you want to be the one? The one to kill Kaegen Deathmote? A hero of the humans, protector of professors and death witches alike. I don't care how scared you are, either fight me or run."

He was going to fight or have the pleasure of watching the other boy flee. He was on top, he was in charge. He was the best there was, the undisputed champion of everything.

But wait, no, that was wrong.

Kaegen's mind startled awake. Snapping to the dim reality that this was dumb. Who cares that we was stronger, who cared who could kill whom or who challenged what? This was beneath him, and a risk. Monkeys fought each other for dominance, dogs did. Kaegen did not. Kaegen already knew who was stronger, he knew exactly what would happen were the two of them to fight and that was enough. He would be the one to back off.

Staring the two dead in the eyes, kaegen suddenly fell backwards with his arms in close, but instead of falling on his back on the ground, he simply floated there, suspended by some unknown force before shooting off away, flying on his back, a few feet above the ground towards the castle

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"You got upset because you wanted to punch me? I feel like making fun of that statement is a bit beneath me at this point so I'll stick to challenging you."

Jay felt a bit like raising a tentative finger and inserting that Kaegen had things a bit misconstrued. His reasoning for getting upset wasn't the fact that he felt like punching the boy in the face; rather, he had felt like punching Kaegen in the face because he had gotten upset.
That thought was lost to the night, however, as Kaegen continued, challenging Jay to follow through with his wish of assaulting his nose.
One thing the scarf-wielder said caught Jay's attention:
"No one has killed my yet and believe me many have tried."
In light of that rather concerning statement, he began to wonder about the kind of life Kaegen had led to this point. His initial reaction had been one that too many people tend to have when faced with a person they don't truly know- he had tried to look past the outward appearance, the sickly skin, sunken eyes and altogether dark image the boy gave off, but had immediately dropped all feelings of possible understanding and sympathy as soon as Kaegen had started being so unabashedly rude to River.
While he certainly didn't regret standing up for the girl, he now wondered what had caused the mysterious fellow to become what he now was. It seemed quite clear that Kaegen had not enjoyed a high quality of living, and the ghosts from his past evidently still haunted him.

While Jay felt like he was seeing Kaegen through new eyes, he still felt exasperated in wake of the other boy's challenge. It didn't seem like there was any effective way of diverting his anger. And yet, Jay knew he wouldn't flee, for such an act seemed to say that he was abandoning his conviction for the cause which he had started all this for. Plus, he wouldn't leave River alone to be accosted further by this weirdo.
But in the end, there wasn't any need for fleeing anyhow, as Kaegen suddenly, and without a word, fell backwards. He never did hit the ground, however, instead floating just inches off the ground.
Jay's mouth dropped wide open as he watched the boy shoot off and disappear in the darkness, heading towards the castle.

For a few moments, he just stared at the spot where he had lost sight of Kaegen, head cocking to one side as his face scrunched up in an extraordinarily confused expression. Was he... dreaming, perhaps?
Either that, or I'm crazier than Kaegen, he thought bemusedly.

«Why on earth would you say any of that?»
The slightly irritated voice beside him snapped him out of his stupor, and he turned to see River piercing him with an annoyed expression. This puzzled him even further. Why would she be annoyed with him? Wasn't he the one who had just stood up for her and her mother?
She then took a few steps closer to him and continued her questioning, «Do think it would be smart to start off your year with a fight? And especially with Kaegen?» She folded her arms and waited for an answer.

As he had done only moments before when facing Kaegen, he put his hands in the air in an appeasing gesture. Somehow, he felt backed into a corner now almost as much as he had when faced with impending death.
"I..." he began intelligently. Brain scrambling a bit, he tried to find something to say that would satisfy her. "I just wasn't going to stand by and watch as he acted like such a jerk towards you, not to mention your mother. And there was no reason for it to turn into a fight; I certainly had no intention for that to happen." He looked from side to side as if making sure that Kaegen hadn't returned, then leaned a bit closer to River and lowered his voice. "I think that guy might just be a bit crazy." He held up two fingers close together in a gesture that said, 'Just a little bit," and in spite of himself, he couldn't hold back an amused grin.
Judging by the way she had voiced the part about getting into a fight with Kaegen, it seemed like she knew something he didn't about the strange boy they had just encountered.
"Do you know him or something?" He asked curiously.